Disposal of biomedical waste

On world environment day, the hospitals in Jammu Kashmir were found short of proper mechanism for treatment of biomedical waste. The pollution control board has sent a prosecution notice to Government Medical College and Director Health Services Kashmir for violating the norms. According to 2016 guidelines, the waste has to be collected in specified colour coded bags. Similarly there is a set procedure for disposal of needles and injections. The guidelines further stress the need for implementation of barcode for collection of waste. The waste is dumped unscientifically at Lassipora and Lasjan sites. According to rough estimates, these dumping sites get around 3,351 kilograms of such waste on a daily basis. The environment committee headed by MLA Tarigami expressed dissatisfaction over working of treatment plants.  It has been learnt that segregation of waste and colour coding is not being followed properly in most of the hospitals. A pollution control board official revealed that less than 50% has been achieved as far as segregation of waste as required by the 2016 rules is concerned. Violation of rules by hospitals has forced the PCB to consider closing down of Lassipora facility where major portion of the waste is dumped. And if the facility is really closed down the consequences can only be imagined. Experts opine that the bio-medical waste can mix with air, soil and water and trigger an epidemic. The irony is that the hospitals have failed to file annual reports leaving PCB in no position to foresee the dangers lying ahead. Besides scientific disposal, the waste has to be handled with extreme caution and discharged in a safe manner strictly in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the Bio-Medical Waste Rules of 2016. But despite these dangers, the dumping of waste in an unscientific manner continues especially in Kashmir. A number of private hospitals have come up across Kashmir. Nobody checks where and how they dump the waste. The guidelines are already there and the concerned should evolve a mechanism to put the guidelines into actual practice. This is how human lives and not just the environment can be saved.

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